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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. ground — crushed
  4. charge — a price
  5. band — a ring
  6. kick — in football
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bore — to tire
  9. season — of the year
  10. bore — to drill
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. season — in sport
  13. ground — the earth
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. lean — thin
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. band — a music group
  19. lean — to bend
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. can — a tin
  22. charge — in control
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. ground — a position

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com